Responsible community – conserved terrestrial landscape

30/08/2017

The “Responsible community – conserved terrestrial landscape” project is being carried out by the Ecological Movement from Moldova with the support of the GEF Small Grants Program, implemented by UNDP, which addresses the issue of the conservation of the terrestrial landscape at community and national level. The implementation of the project will be carried out in the pilot region “Orheiul Vechi” Cultural-Natural Reserve, located on the territory of Trebujeni, Ivancea, Piatra, Susleni, Mascauti, Holercani, Marcauti and Molovata. Additionally, the issues related to establishing a dialogue between the parties involved in the project, as well as the publicity and visibility of the project will be carried out at national level.

Implementation period: August 2017 – October 2018.

The aim of this project is to develop a model for capitalizing and preserving the landscape at the community level in the pilot cultural area of ​​Orheiul Vechi and to initiate a process of completing and adjusting the legislative framework for landscape preservation at national level.

In this context, a number of specific objectives have been drawn up reflecting the priorities of this project:

Objective 1: Valorisation and promotion of biodiversity, landscape, flora and fauna in the „Orheiul Vechi” cultural-natural reserve by developing a birdwatching thematic touristic route and promoting the representative species in the area.

Objective 2: Creating the conditions for the development of natural habitats, wild flora and fauna by restoring 8 ha of forest or forest curtains in the „Orhei Vechi” Cultural-Natural Reserve or adjacent areas.

Objective 3: Establishing a dialogue between central public authorities, civil society and academia on the need to create and adjust the legislative framework for the protection and preservation of the terrestrial landscape.

Objective 4: Raising awareness and informimg authorities and local communities regarding the need to preserve the terrestrial landscape.

local and central public authorities (municipalities from the pilot-region villages as well as adjacent regions, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and its subordinated institutions, forest enterprises);

Interested NGOs and the scientific community;

the local communities, entrepreneurs and young people from the region.

The beneficiaries of the project are:

Administration of the Natural-Cultural Reserve „Orheiul Vechi”, which will benefit from a new product: the tourist sightseeing and birdwatching route;

Municipalities of the villages from the cultural-natural reserve area, on whose territories will be rehabilitated 8 ha of forest curtains;

Students and teachers who will participate in environmental classes;

Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, to which will be presented a recommendation document on completing and adjusting the legislative framework in the field of landscape preservation;

Entrepreneurs from the the tourism industry who will participate in a study visit and will be able to diversify their offer by including birdwatching in their tourist progammes.

In order to achieve the objectives proposed in the project, the MEM team will carry out a number of activities:

Identification and marking of a birdwatching trail in Orheiul Vechi;

Promoting the representative fauna and flora species in the pilot area by developing and printing an informative leaflet and supporting 10 thematic environmntal classes in schools from the villages included in the „Orheiul Vechi” Natural-Cultural Reserve;

Elaboration of a rehabilitation plan of 8 ha of forest protection or forest curtains;

Identification and preparation of the prmotional material and its quantity;

Performing rehabilitation works;

Conducting information sessions on the rehabilitation of the forest curtains and the benefits they bring;

Post rehabilitation evaluation;

Organizing consultation and lobby meetings on the need to create and adjust the legislative framework to protect and preserve the terrestrial landscape;

Conduct a publicity campaign on the value and necessity of preserving biodiversity, as well as creating and adjusting the legislative framework for the protection and preservation of the terrestrial landscape (press conferences, thematic radio programs, video reports, articles in the print media).

Total project budget: € 99,540.00 (50% represents funds provided by the GEF Small Grants Program, implemented by UNDP, and another 50% represents the co-financing of MEM and its partners).

The “Responsible community – conserved terrestrial landscape” project contributes to the development of the “Conservation of the Earth Landscape at Community Level” area, which is the SGP nr. 1 Component of EO6 and proposes activities that will contribute to achieving the Program’s objectives. The project reflects the needs identified in a series of documents and agreements of national and international importance that contain provisions on the preservation of the landscape and biodiversity and to which the Republic of Moldova is a signatory state:
- The Environmental Strategy 2013-2023,
- The Biological Diversity Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for the years 2015-2020,
- the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, adopted in Bonn,
- The European Landscape Convention, adopted in Florence,
- Convention on Biological Diversity,
- Provisions iof the 16th Chapter of the Moldova-EU Association Agreement.

The project also complements, through its specific objectives, the initiatives of the USAID Competitiveness Project in Moldova regarding the development of tourism in the Orheiul Vechi cultural-natural reserve.